Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow

Set on a vast, snow stained Eastern Front, Liberation traces the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. The film unfolds as a five part epic, with each segment focusing on a major campaign and the men and women who carry it forward. It mixes battlefield battles with the grind of logistics, leadership decisions, and civilian suffering, offering a sweeping view of strategy and courage. While rooted in real events, the drama emphasizes individual acts of endurance and the toll of war, presenting a panoramic portrait that avoids predictability while avoiding spoilers about how the war will unfold. Through a mix of large battles and quiet personal moments, the film ties grand strategy to human hope and fear.

Directed by Yuri Ozerov and released in 1970, Liberation is a five part Soviet war epic. The screenplay was developed by Ozerov with Oskar Kurganov, Yuri Bondarev and Zbigniew Załuski. The principal cast features Mikhail Ulyanov as Marshal Zhukov and Fritz Diez as Hitler, supported by Nikolay Olyalin and Vladlen Davydov in key generals' roles. These sequences are matched by meticulous production design and period costumes that aim to recreate the scale of the era.

As one of the era defining Soviet war epics, Liberation is noted for its sweeping battle sequences and visual scale. It helped shape the depiction of the Great Patriotic War on screen and influenced later large scale historical dramas. Its production values and scope set a benchmark for state backed cinema and fed into the national memory of World War II.

Critics at the time praised the film for its ambition and scope, while some noted pacing and melodramatic flourishes. The work centers on sacrifice, collective resolve, and the turning points on the road to victory, offering a human lens amid grand combat. Its portrayal of leadership under pressure and the resilience of civilians adds moral texture to the spectacle.